Vending machine



Feb. 27, 1945.

c. J. WARREN 2,370,276

VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 13, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l fig-1 ,4 5 3, Z 5"??774' fNfiVTOR. BY I gam 1%? ATTORNEY.

Feb. 27, 1945. c, J, WARREN VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. '13, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FORWARD FA UtiET OPf/V ATTORNEY.

Feb. 27, 1945. c J WARREN 2,370,276.

VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 13, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY.

Patented F ch. 27, 1945 UNETED STATES PATENT want 8 Claims.

My invention relates to coin-controlled dispensing or vending apparatus, and more especially to apparatus of that character for dispensing, under coin control, liquids, as for instance, orange juice or other fruit juices, milk, ginger ale and like beverages, or any other liquids which it may be desired to dispense.

An object of my invention is to place a cup and to dispense a certain quantity of liquid into the cup, by simple operation with the supply of a coin as a prerequisite to the operation.

A further object is to supply a cup to the position for receiving the liquid, in which position the cup is accessible for manual removal, incident to each dispensing operation.

A further object is to keep the liquid cool for preservation of the liquid and to make it more palatable.

Further and more particular objects are to guard "against tampering with the mechanism or clogging of the means for liquid discharge; to insure that a cup is filled with the quantity dispensed before it can be taken by the customer; to guard against injury of persons tampering with the machine; and to provide as fully as possible for sanitation at the place of delivering the filled cup. A further object is to enable several customers to receive cups of liquid in rapid succesby deposit of a like number of coins. In general,

the object is to have the machine as a whole of.

attractive and inviting appearance, sanitary, selfcontained and retentive of waste material, and making the machine suited for use in places where neatness of appearance of the machine and its surroundings is essential.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying my invention, illustrating the exterior appearance;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross section of the same on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical-sectional front elevation of the same on a somewhat enlarged scale, the door of the cabinet being removed, and the section being on the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial horizontal cross section similar to that of Fig. 2, the delivery casing being in horizontal cross section on planes of the broken line 4-4 of Fig. 3, the portion shown being the forward left assembly of the upper part of the machine, and being on a scale considerably enlarged over those of the preceding views;

Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the operating mechanism to make clear the timing of the operations of various parts; I

Fig. 6 is a diagram further to illustrate the timing;

Fig. 7 is a, front elevation corresponding to that of Fig. 3, but being on the enlarged scale of and showing the details shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a front elevation, further enlarged, of the cup-delivery device, with a front plate removed to reveal details of the interior mechanism; 4

Fig. 9 is a artial front-to-rear vertical section on the plane of the line 89 of Fig. 4, on the same scale as that of Figs. 4 and '7, cups in various positions being illustrated by dash lines;

Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the electrical and other details of the coin control and means for successive deliveries in accordance with pre-deposited coins.

In the example disclosed, a cabinet has a base I, back wall 2 and side walls 3, and has a front with a door 4 on hinges Eat the left; this door extending from base i to the top of the cabinet, which is closed by a cover 6 having hinges l on the top edge of cabinet back wall 2, and having a lock 8 at the front, on door 4; the upper edge part of door 4 being held within the cover 6 when the latter is closed down, so that lock 8 looks both cover and door in closed positions. About midway of the height of the cabinet is a shelf, which com- 'prises two sections. The left section 9 is detachably held in the cabinet and its right edge part overlaps the left edge part of right section l0,

which extends about half-way across the cabinet and is permanently secured to right wall 3 and back. wall 2, and by a brace l I to the cabinet front just inside the door opening thereof.

The left shelf section 9 has, at its left edge, an upstanding plate part l2 which lies up along the left cabinet wall 3 and is hung thereon tightly by means of stirrups l3 on wall 3 through slots in plate part 12. Both shelf sections 9 and i0 have front turned-down flanges 9' and ill; the before mentioned brace ll being fixed to right section flange ill, and left section flange 8' having a socket 9 on its inner side tightly receiving the upper end of a like brace l4 fixed to the cabinet front at the left side of and just within the door opening. Removable left shelf section 9 thus is supported by the left wall stirrups l3, the fixed right shelf section 10 and the left brace it. The fixed right shelf section 10 has on it the raised platform '15 supported by the right side wall 3,

back wall 2, and a leg I. at the front edge of the platform, fixed to shelf section III.

This platform l5 supports the liquid container and its cooling coils, which are connected to the compressor which with its assembly is mounted on cabinet base I in the lower cabinet compartment. The removable shelf section 3 supports the operating mechanism, which is removable thereon. This is of advantage, both in factory assembly of the mechanism, and in repair or adjustment of the mechanism, in servicing the machine. The coin-receiving device I1 is mounted on the right hand side of the cabinet front, just within the door lamb; and being obtainable on the market, and per se not being of my invention, needs no more detailed description than that it is so designed that the passage of a coin down to box i1 will establish an electrical connection between two otherwise disconnected conductors. The device i8 to provide for successive operations corresponding to the number of coins passing down through receiving device, I1 is mounted on the left cabinet wall 3 Just above the upright plate part l2; and also being obtainable on the market, needs no detailed description further than later will be given in reference to Fig. 10.

The compressor assembly before mentioned comprises the compressor I6, a small electric motor 20 which drives it, with a cooling fan 2| on the motor shaft, and a radiator 22 at the rear, next to a meshed screen part 22' of cabinet back wall 2, which admits air which the fan 2i drives against the return coils 23 leading into compressor l9, and the compressed-refrigerant coils 24 leading from the compressor. These coils 23 and 24 extend as tubes 23 and 24 up through an opening 24" in shelf section I0, to connect to respective ends of the coils 25 around inner tank' 26 within outer casing 21 on platform l5. Tank 26 opens through the top of casing 21, with a gasket 28 on which rest the shoulders ofan inverted bottle 29. The parts are understood to be so arranged that liquid in tank 26 is kept at a substantially constant height by out-flows from bottle 29 as quantities are drawn from the tank. A stirrer 30 comprising a central huband opposite blades 30' has its hub fixed on a shaft 3i, in the bottom part of tank 26; the shaft extending through the bottom of the tank with a stuffing box 32 around it. The lower end of shaft 3| is connected to the shaft of a small motor 33 fixed on the shelf section Ill. Up to the left on the back wall 2 f the cabinet, is a thermostat 34, connected b small tube 34' to coils 25; this thermostat being suitably connected with compressor motor 20, to start and stop the motor as temperature rises and falls, as is'well known in the art of electric refrigeration. The small stir-.

rier motor 33 may operate with the cooling device to prevent settling, as of pulp in fruit juice, and to keep the liquid' moving for better exposure to cooling. v

A small electric lamp 35 is mounted on top of the thermostat 34 to illuminate the interior of the cabinet when the mechanism is being serviced, and when the large bottle 23 is bein re moved, filled and replaced. The motor 36 which drives the operating mechanism, together with this mechanism, is mounted on a shelf 31 fixed to the upstanding plate part i2; therefore being removable with shelf section 3 and with the mechanism as before mentioned. The electrical connections for the motor 36 as well as other parts are made at a group of sockets 38 receiving plugs of the several connections detachably. The plate ll" with a slot where the coin is inserted is on the outside of the right door lamb part of the cabinet front; and below this is a cup 36 understood to receive coins rejected by the coin device I! in a manner well known in such a device. In the door 4 is an aperture, below the plane of the cabinet shelf sections 9 and it, being closed by a shutter 40 hinged at the top of the aperture to close by gravity; and in the lower cabinet compartment, above the refrigerating assembly before described, is a removable bin 4!, on brackets 4i shown in Fig. 3. Used cups are inserted through the aperture by pushing open shutter 40, to drop into bin 4!. On the upper part of door 4 is a plate 42, which may be a mirror as represented; or it may be transparent glass for shining of light from lamp 35 inside the cabinet. A frame 43 fits in an aperture in the door to have its bottom slightly above the plane of the top of cabinet shelf sections 3 and i6; this frame bounding the opening through which the filled cups are taken from the machine.

The liquid is delivered from the tank 26 to thecups through the faucet 44 connecting by elbow 44' through the bottom of tank 26 and passing through outer casing 21. This is a faucet of well known design, with the plug 45 turned about 90 degrees from its closed position shown in the drawings, to its open position alining the plug port 45' with the faucet passage which latter ends with a down-turned spout 46. The top of the faucet plug 45 has the upwardly and laterally curved arm 41 ending with a hub 41' having a vertical p sage through it. A pin 45" in the plug bears on the top rim of the faucet body to limit the tightness with which the tapered I 40 above a nut 49 and washer 43" on the stem.

Ordinarily, asimple washer would be interposed between the top of the spring 48 and the bottom rim of the faucet body; but here, a washer in the shape of a cam 50 is so placed, and the stem 43 is made square at 50 to fit a square hole in cam 50, so that cam 56 turns with the faucet plug 45. The shape of this cam 50 is best seen in Fig. 4, where it is seen to have a peripheral portion ii of least radius for about 120 degrees, succeeded in both directions by abruptly starting portions 52 and 53 of larger radii, around to a nose 54 of considerably greater radial extent than portions 52 and 53, and rather abruptly starting from these portions at its respective sides. Looking down at the cam, this nose 54 is displaced clockwise about half its width from the plane of the radial line of the faucet plug arm 41; and it is about diametrically opposite a median radial line of the least-radius part Ii.

The delivery casing 55 is hood-shaped with closed back and open front, with rounded top: the sides, bottom and top of the casing having their front edges coinciding with the back edges of the frame 43 in the door aperture, and the .edges of the two members coming close together K is represented in dash lines. Standing up from the plane bottom 56 is a pair of guide ribs 58 from front to rear and spaced laterally sufficiently to easily take the bottom of the cup K between them. Hollow bosses 59 and 60 extend out laterally from the respective ribs 58, each opening into the space, between the ribs. The plane bottom 56 has perforations 6| through which liquid spilled may drain into a pan-shaped base 62 on which the casing 55 is fixed by four screws 63.

Two of these screws 63 are at the front, and both the casing 55 and the base 62 have rear extensions near the rear ends of which the other two screws are located. Guide bars 64 are interposed at opposite sides between casing 55 and base 62 with rabbets in their upper corners, in which the cup carrier 65, a rectangular plate, has its lateral edges guided. The four screws 63, passing through bars 64, hold the casing, bars and base in assembly. Short rear ribs 66 extend back from the sides of aperture 51 in alinement with front ribs 58, andflare rearwardly; and the casing bottom 56 ends, between these rear ribs 66 with a downwardly backwardly inclined portion 61. The carrier 65 slides closely under this rear end portion 61 and themain part of casing bottom 56, being, however, down from bottom 56, leaving space 66 for drainage from perforations 6|. A tension. spring 69 hooks to the rear end of carrier 65 and to cabinet back wall 2.

The pusher 10 is an upstanding slightly rearwardly inclined plate concave transversely on its front face, and having at its top corners backwardly bent guide ears H, and having unitary with its lower end a rear extension 12 with its rear end part 12' set down and fixed to the rear end part of carrier 65, supporting pusher Hi to pass along the top of the casing bottom portions 61 and 56 in its forward travel with the carrier 65. Pusher l widens from its bottom upward; being narrow enough at its bottom to pass between casing bottom guide ribs 58, and its top being wide enough to extend sufficiently around the wider upper part of cup K which finds space of sufficient dimension, front to rear, between pusher l0 and the casing back wall, to rest down in front of pusher when the carrier 65 is in its rearmost position, as shown. A stud 13 is fixed in the carrier 65 on its bottom, about under the pusher 10, and projects downward from the carrier. To admit operating means to this stud, the left wall of base 62 has a long notch 62' in its upper edge. The base rear extension bottom has down through it an opening 14 registering with an opening 14' in the shelf section 9, to drain from the base down into the cup bin 4|.

The screws 63 before mentioned, threaded down through base 62 to hold together the base, the guide bars 64 and the delivery casing 55, project below to go through holes in the shelf section 6, receiving nuts 63' therebelow to 'attach the assembly firmly to the shelf. The base pan ordinarily may be cleaned by flushing through the casing bottom perforations 6i; and for occasional thorough cleaning of the pan, as of fruit pulp or the like sticking to it, the assembly is easily removed and taken apart. The drainage does not usually rise to the bottom of the pan wall notch 62.

Properly located a considerable distance to the left from the delivery assembly, a boss is unitary with shelf section 9, with an upstanding stud 15. A lever with a long arm 16 extending to the right and a short arm I1 extending forward from a hub 18 has this hub around stud 15, held down thereon by pin 15' through the stud. Each arm ends in a fork; the fork of the longer arm 16 straddling the depending stud 13 of the carrier 65. The notch 62' in the pan wall makes space for swinging of this arm to move the carrier forward and backward.

' At the bottom of the aperture 51 of the delivery casing back wall, the casing base is transversely slotted, and a gate-guide bar 19 extends to the right with its upper front corner rabbeted and continuous with the slotting of the base. At the top of aperture 51 the upper gate-guide bar 80 extends from the left corner of the aperture to the right, with its lower front corner rabbeted. Both bars 19 and 80 extend somewhat past the right hand side of the casing 55 and are secured to the casing by screws 19' and 80, re-

spectively. The gate 8| is a rectangular plate with its lower and upper edges slidably fitting, respectively, in the base slot and lower bar rabbet, and'in the upper bar rabbet, and against the fiat rear surface of casing 55. It is of ample length along the guides to avoid binding; and when it is across the aperture its left end part, curved backward, wedges to the rear edge of an upright rib 82 that forms the left side of the aperture and has its rear side inclining to the left backwardly from a front edge 82' that is spaced forwardly from gate 8| to form a guard against persons getting their fingers into the place of wedging. Near its right end, gate 81 has fixed to it a bracket 83, extending backward and downward with a lower end part gripping a rod 64 that has its end just to the right of bracket 83 hook shaped. The tension spring 85 connects to this hook shaped end and to the right cabinet wall 3, tending to pull gate 8| open to the right. The rod 84 extends to the left through re'ar bottom extensions 61, over carrier plate 55, to near the left cabinet wall 3.

The rear of the top of delivery casing 55 is formed with a rearwardly opening bay with a floor 86 just above casing rear aperture 51, and has walls 81 diverging backwardly from the midwidth of its front; and Walls 81 have continuation below floor 86 to form a depending guard ,fiange 86. Just back of the forwardmost part of the walls and flange, fioor 86 has down through it the opening 88, through which depends the faucet spout part 46.

The operating parts are so designed, as later will be described, that carrier 65 and its pusher l0 stop forward sliding at a point where cup K slid by pusher 10 forward on casing bottom 56 is stopped with itscenter about under the center of spout portion 46. The ribs 58 of easing bottom 55, as well as the forward concavity of pusher l0, keep the cup in its correct path of forward travel. The hollow bosses 59 and 60 that extend from the ribs 58 as before mentioned are so located as to be on a left-to-right line through the center of the cup K when it has been placed under spout portion 66 by operation of carrier 65 and pusher 10 as has just been described, to receive liquid. In left boss 59 is gripper 89, being a wire that extends its right end from the boss and bends down through a hole in the bottom of the hollow boss interior to end in a horizontal left end part 90 extending through a depending lug 9! on the under side of the casing bottom 56. A clamp screw 92 threaded down through bottom 56 and lug 9|, clamps against the side of gripper part 60 when screwed entirely down; the

,their gripping ends.

head of the screw being countersunk in the upper surface of the casing bottom. This permits adjustment for the gripper to project more or less into the cup space between the casing bottom guide ribs 58. In the right boss 50 is a gripper 33, similarly formed but having its right hand part 93' long, to project through a notch in the pan base wall, somewhat past which the wire is bent backward as an arm 94, then upward alongside the casing 55 as a shaft 95, and then backward as an upper arm 95. Bearings 91 and 33, fixed to casing 55, embrace shaft part 95 next to the lower and upper bends, respectively, limiting upward and downward slippage of the formation. A flat spring 99 is fixed on the pan base side and extends back, bearing on the gripper formation at the bend joining lower arm part 94 with gripper 93, where it has an aperture so that it embraces gripper right end part 53'; thus yieldingly holding the gripper so that its left end is drawn into the boss 80 from the space between guide ribs 58. It will be understood that gripper 03 fits loosely in boss 50, and the wire-of which it is made can bend slightly, giving the effect of a pivotal connection between part 93' and arm part 94.

With gripper 93 thus drawn in, upper arm part 96 bears on faucet-plug cam 50 at the abrupt starting of cam peripheral portion 52 with the faucet closed by having plug port 45 at right angles to the faucet passage, as seen in Fig. 4, where turning the plug counter-clockwise will allne port 45' .with the passage for discharge of liquid from tank 20. When the cam 50 turns with the plug in this direction, upper gripper arm part 80 rides out onto cam part 52, so that gripper 53 is projected into the space between the guide ribs 58. A cup K located under the spout 46 as before explained thus will be gripped between gripper 93 and gripper 89; these slightly indenting the paper cup walls down, very close to the cup bottom; firmly holding the cup against removal while the faucet is open, yet not impairing the cup walls, as the grippers are blunt at As the faucet is closed, arm part 95 rides off of cam part 52, allowing spring 05 to draw the gripper 93 into boss 60 again, so that the filled cup may be removed. On the fioor 58 of the delivery casing rear bay,

a boss journals a short vertical shaft I extending below and above floor 86 and therebelow having fixed on it a guard wing IOI, and thereabove having fixed on it a dog I02 with a nose bearing on the periphery of faucet-plug cam 50.

These parts are so relatively positioned on shaft I00 that when the dog nose is at the verge of the rear side of cam nose 54 the wing IOI has its radially outer end part under spout 4B, preventing access to the interior of the spout when the faucet is closed. Quickly, in beginning opening of the faucet, the nose of dog I02 rides down the rear side of cam nose 54 because of action of a compression spring I03 between. the left side of the dog I02 and a lug I04 on the left rear part of the floor 85; so that the wing IOI is swung backward from under spout 46 before plug port 45 reaches the faucet passage to allow liquid to start flowing through the spout 46. As the faucet is closed, the dog nose rides out onto cam nose 54, swinging wing IOI under spout 46.

Over the space between the backwardly positioned cup pusher 10 and the gated back of casing 55 is the cup-supply device comprising a casing I05 of rectangular shape, fixed on a bracket I06 that extends to the right from shelf 31 before mentioned as supporting the operating mechanism. This cup casing I05 has centrally down through it the vertical chute I01 for the cups, of circular cross section very slightly greater in diameter than the outer diameter of the rims k of the cups. An extension I08 lengthens the chute downwardly, in an aperture in bracket I06.

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At the top, an upward extension I09 is enlarged in interior diameter over that of chute I01, leaving annular shoulder IIO on which rests the lower rim of cup magazine III; as here shown, a glass tube with closed top as seen in Fig. 3.

Just below annular shoulder I I0 are recesses I I 2 in the walls of chute I01, diametrically opposite at left and right. The front of easing I05 has a compartment closed by a removable front plate H3; and shafts II 4 are Journaled in the casing to extend forward into this compartment and back into the respective recesses II2. In the recess each shaft has fixed on it a two-toothed pawl, and in the compartment each shaft has fixed on it a pinion segment II5. A rack frame II6 slides transversely, horizontally, in the compartment, between lower guides II1 and upper guides III! and H8; comprising a lower main bar part which extends to the left through a notch in the compartment wall, considerably past said wall, ending in a knob I I8. An upward projection I IS on this bar part has projecting to the left the upper rack I meshing downwardly with left pinion segment H5. The left end of this rack, engaging the compartment wall, limits left hand sliding of the frame IIG. Left upper guide II 8" bears on the top of the rack I20, and right upper guide II8 projects down to bear on top of the*main bar part. This main bar part ends at the right in the right lower rack I2I meshing upwardly with right hand pinion segment I I5. A

spring I22 compressed between frame upward' projection I I6 and right upper guide IIB yieldingly holds the frame in its left position. An abutment I23 projects to the right from upward projection II6' over spring I22, keeping the spring in shape, and engages right hand upper guide I I8 to limit right hand sliding of the frame H6. The front plate II3 holds the frame and spring against lateral displacement. The pawl teeth are so extended and proportioned, and the segments II5 are so meshed with the racks I20 and I2I that when lower pawl teeth I24 are projected into chute I01, upperpawl teeth I25 are swung into the respective recess H2, and vice versa. In this way, upper teeth I25 will move out into chute I01 under rim is of a next upper cup as lower teeth move in from under rim k of the lowest cup. This allows the lowest cup, as cup K in Fig. 9, to fall to the position on carrier 65 had by cup K" there shown; while next upper cup K' with its rim caught as just explained is temporarily held -up by upper teeth I25, to fall until its rim is engages outcoming lower teeth I 24 when upper teeth I25 are drawn in away from the rim on return of rack frame IIG to the left from the right hand position taken for releasing lowermost cup K.

The operating mechanism mounted on shelf 31 comprises a shaft I25, as best seen in Fig. 4, journaled in bearings I21 upstanding from the shelf; the rear end of this shaft connecting by a suitable coupling I28 with the stub shaft of a speed reducer I29 geared to the shaft of the motor 35 mounted on a bracket I30 extending to the right from the rear end part of the shelf 31. Shaft I26 extends forward from front bearing I21 and has fixed on it a small contact drum I3I of in- I42 unitary with the main part sulating material covered, for half its circumference, by conducting segment I32. A pair of tongues I33 are mounted on a forward projection I34 of the bearing support, by screws I35 connecting wires I36 and I 3'! with the respective tongues, which are of resilient conductive material and spring up against the bottom of the drum I3I. Just to the rear of front bearing I21 the cup-carrier-operating cam I38 is fixed on the shaft. Shortly back from that cam, the cup-release cam I39 is fixed on the shaft. Just back of this cam I39 the gate-operating cam I40 is fixed on the shaft. Just forward from the rear bearing I2'I the faucet-operating cam MI is fixed on the shaft. These may be seen more clearly in Fig. 5. The shaft I26 is rotated over to the left, as indicated by the arrow inFig. and in all views is stopped at. the position it has between operations of dispensing.

In this position, contact tongues I33 bear up on the insulating portion of drum I3I close to the trailing end of conducting segment I32. Carrier-operating cam I38 has half its periphery concentric with the shaft, and the other half ascending sharply in a curve slightly convex to an approximately half circle symmetrical with the concentric part and then descending sharply in an opposite like slightly convex curve to the concentric part. In starting position, it depends its maximum-radius end from the shaft, to the left about degrees from the vertical. Cup-release cam I39 is of shape similar to that of the just described carrier-operating cam, but its maximum-radius portion instead of being nearly semicircular follows a curve concentric with the shaft for about 35 degrees. In starting position it is projected up substantially diametrically opposite to the dependence of the carrier-operating cam I38. The gate-operating cam I 40 has half its periphery concentric with the shaft and the other half substantially conforming to a curve volute to the shaft. In starting position, the concentric half is down to the left about 10 degrees from the vertical like the maximum radius of cam I38 and the minimum radius of cam I39. The volute portion ascends around to the right, above the shaft to a substantially radial drop back to the concentric part; this drop inclining down to the right about 10 degrees below horizontal with the cam in its starting position. The faucet-operating cam I4I has about 90 degrees of its periphery concentric with the shaft, the other half conforming to inverse meeting volute curves and being symmetrical to the concentric part, i. e., each curve being about 135 degrees in extent. In starting position of the cam, least-radius part is symmetrical to aright downward incline of 45 degrees; the maximum-radius point being to the left up about 45 degrees. The right upper half of the periphery is followed in curvature by the radially inner edge of an opposing segment of the cam by an arm I43 spaced away from the cam and segment edges where it joins these parts.

The cup-carrier-operating lever I44, the cuprelease lever I45, the gate-operating lever I46, and the faucet-operating lever I41 all are at the right of the respective cams I38, I39, I40 and MI which actuate them, and all are fulcrumed on a front-to-rear fulcrum pin I48 fixed through the supports of the bearings I21 down close to shelf 31. Collars I49 fixed on pin I48 hold the levers to their positions along the pin. The levers I44 and I46 extend below shelf 31, which has its edge recessed for their accommodation.

The cup-carrier lever I44, the carrier 65 being at rear position, depends substantially vertically as shown, to the fork of short cup-carrier lever arm 11 where it has a stud I50 engaging in the arm fork. At this :position the upper end part of this lever I44 is bearing on cam I38 at the beginning of ascent of the cam periphery. The cup-release lever I45 has its upper end enlarged and flat for attachment of an upstanding finger I5I that operates the successive-operation device I8 as later will be explained. This upper end engages the knob II9 of the cup-release rack frame; and it engages cam I39 at the start of its concentric portion. The gate-operating lever I46 depends somewhat slantingly to the left, ending in a fork that straddles a stud I52 on a block I53 embracing the left end part of door-operating rod 84, which is threaded and receives nuts I54 at opposite ends of the block I53, gripping it on the rod and allowing adjustment along the rod. The upper end of this lever I46 is a nose at the verge of the abrupt drop of the cam I40, holding the gate closed. The faucet-operating lever I41 swings at the rear of its cam MI and has a roller I55 journaled on a stud in its front side, which roller has flanges straddling the main part of cam I M as well as the segment I42 of this cam when it meets the roller. This lever I41 extends considerably above the cam MI, and

a tension spring I56 hooks to its upper end and to the left cabinet wall 3. spring connection a stud extends forward from the lever and carries pivotally a left forward extending arm I51 that. in turn has pivoted on its front end part a small yoke I 58 that can swin in a transverse plane. A connecting rod I59 extends through this yoke and is threaded, receiving nuts I60 at the ends of the yoke to clamp the latter to the rod and allow adjustment along the rod. This rod I59 is bent forward, then backward, to pass around the cup-supply device, and has a terminal further b'ackwardly bent part that extends through the top eye of a pin I6I turning in the faucet-plug arm-hub 41', down in which it is held by a nut I6I below the hub, on the pin. A flange I59 on the rod engages the front side of the pin eye, and a pin I59" through the rod engages the rear side thereof. With the faucet closed, the roller I55 of lever I" is at the beginning of the concentric the cam segment I42 engaging its right end part tothe right of the lever roller I55, holding the faucet positively closed. The arm I51 and yoke I58 are omitted in Fig. 5 and the rod I59 is connected directly to the lever I 41, merely for simplicity of illustration; though of course this connection would be operative, loosely.

The coin-control devices, as before stated, are not of my invention, and so are illustrated in Fig. 10 in an arbitrary manner which may be roughly representative of the devices actually used or other such devices that may be used for the same purposes. The coin chute of device I! is indicated at the right with a coin N rolling down it and about to make electrical connection between two contact members I62. The motor 36 that drives the operating mechanism is shown merely with the shaft I26 of the mechanism and the cup-release cam I39 thereon, as well as the contactdrum I3I with its segment I32 and the two contact tongues I33. To represent the successive-operation device I8 a solenoid I 63 has a vertically movable armature I64 yieldingly held up by a spring I65 and carrying on its lower end an extension below the solenoid coils on which Shortly below this part of the cam I4I, with extension swings a pawl I66 with an upper arm I61 bearing on a pin I68. Below this assembly is a ratchet wheel I69 fixed on a shaft I10 extending back and having around it a spring I1I so connected to the shaft and so bearing on a pin in a fractional conductive ring I12 to the rear, around shaft I10 and concentric with the shaft, that the spring I1I tends to turn the shaft and wheel I69 over to the right as seen by the rear arrow. The descending pawl I66 will swing to the wheel I69 due to the action of its upper arm I61 at pin I68; the teeth of the wheel I69 being so raked that the pawl thus will turn the wheel and shaft over to the left, winding up spring I1I. Within fractional ring I12, shaft I10 carries a contact member I13 seen occupying the gap in ring I12 when no current is passing in solenoid I63. The member I13 has a hub on which bears a contact blade I14. An escapement .pawl is pivoted down at the right of wheel I69, with a left tooth I15 seen engaged with a wheel tooth under force of a spring I16 stretched from the opposite or right arm of the pawl to a fixed pin I11. At its middle, the escapement pawl has a depending arm I18 in the path of the tip I19 of the finger II before mentioned as being on the upper end of the cup-release lever I 45 shown bearing on cam I39. As the maximum-radius part of cam I39 swings lever I45 to the right, the tip I19, engaging escapement pawl arm I18 will swing this pawl to disengage its lower left tooth from the wheel I69 and engage its upper right tooth I80 with the next approaching wheel tooth as the spring I1I turns the wheel over to right upon release by lower left tooth I15 of the escapement pawl.

Thus, if solenoid I63 has turned wheel I69 one tooth over to left, member I13 has moved to right into contact with fractional ring I12; but finger I5I would allow a one-tooth reverse turn, again bringing member I13 into the gap of ring I12. If a plurality of coins N rolled over the contact members I62, each time energizing solenoid I63, wheel I69 and therewith the contact member I 13 will be turned over to the left as many teeth as there were coins N passing and contacting chute members I62, advancing member I13 a proport onate distance around fractional ring I12. As lever finger I5I acts but once, near the end, of each filled-cup delivery operation, to actuate the escapement pawl and allow spring I1I to return member I13 toward the ring gap, as many filled cups will be delivered as there were coins N deposited to contact chute members I62.

The leads I8I and I-82 represent the connection S, Fig. 3, to a current source, as usual house wiring. Lead I8I is connected by wire I83 to one terminal of motor 36 that drives the operating mechanism. Lead I 82 is connected by wire I84 to fractional contact ring I12, and also, by wire I36, to one tongue I33 that bears on drum I3I. The other terminal of motor 36 is connected by wire I85 to the blade I14 that contacts the hub of rotatable contact member I13, and also, by wire I31, to the other tongue I33 that bears on drum I3I. One chute contact member I62 is connected by wire I86 to lead I8I: the other one of these members I62 is connected by wire I81 to one terminal of the coil of solenoid I63; the other terminal of this coil being connected by wire I88 to the other lead I92. It will be noted that the operating cams have to rotate nearly 100 degrees after lever finger I5I actuates the escapement pawl relative to ratchet wheel I69; so that in the one operation, if there is only one, or the last operation of a plurality, member I13 will reach the gap in ring I12 when the about 100 degrees of this only or last rotation of the operating cams is to occur. It is for this reason that drum I 3I with its segment I32 and tongues I33 bearing thereon are provided; the segment I32 maintaining the circuit after the member I13 reaches the ring gap, and breaking the circuit only after the segment I32 has passed from tongues I33. This segment I32 may be accurately located to cause the break in circuit just as the operating cams have completed their several operations.

Fig. 5 shows the general arrangement of the cams, but the diagram of Fig. 6 more accurately indicates the relative positioning or timing of the four operating cams on shaft I26; the lettering of Fig. 6 also being applied in the legends indicating the functioning of the cams, in Fig. 5. Angle A in Fig. 6, about 10 degrees, is that of abrupt gate-opening drop on cam I; angle B, about 80 degrees, is that of forward movement of carrier by cam I38; angle C, about 135 degrees, is that of opening the faucet 44 by the part of the cam I4I opposite its segment I42; and angle D, about 135 degrees, is that of closing of the faucet -44 by this segment I42. Angle b, about 90 degrees, is that of backward movement of the carrier 65 by spring 69 under control of cam I38; and angle d, about 180 degrees. is that of closing of gate M by the Volute part of cam I40. Angle E, about 80 degrees, is that of release of cup K' to drop to carrier '65, by cam I39, and also of finger I5I that operates the escapement pawl of device I1; angle e, about 35 degrees, is that of dwell on cam I39 while the cup K drops; and angle E, about 65 degrees.

is that of return of the pawls of the cup-supply Q device, withdrawing their upper teeth I25 from mounted on an upstanding bracket I89 on the rear left part of cup-dispenser bracket I06, actuated by faucet-operating lever I 41 engaging rod I89" of the counter mechanism.

Summarizing, with cup carrier 65 back with cup K on it, dropped as part of the last previous dispensing operation, gate 8| is closed, guard IOI is under spout 4-6, and gripper 93 is drawn into its boss 60. Cup K hangs in chute I01. Deposited coin N connects members I62, energizing solenoid I63 to rotate ring I13 a distance of one tooth of .wheel I69, starting motor 36 to rotate shaft I26 with the four cams thereon. Gate 8I quickly opens as the abrupt drop of cam I4I permits spring to act, and carrier 65 moves forward, pusher 10 pushing cup K" to position as cup K on casing bottom '56; the faucet is opened by cam HI, and in opening, its cam 50 permits guard wing IM to swing from under the faucet spout by action of sprin I03, and forces gripper 93 against cup K and the cup against opposite ilxed gripper 89. The smaller end of faucet-operating cam I4I is so nearly concentric with shaft I26 that there is practically a dwell of open faucet 60 degrees of cam rotation, upon which increasingly rapid closure of the faucet occurs, by action of cam segment I42, aided by spring I56. In the last stage of faucet closure, faucet-plug-cam nose 54 returns guard wing IOI under the faucet spout; and spring 99 withdraws gripper 93 from cup K, as permitted by arm part asvaave 99 riding of! or cam part 52. The gate 8! is being closed by volute of cam I40 while the faucet is opening and closing; and the carrier 85 has started back sufficiently earlier than beginning of gate closing to have pusher 10 back of the gate path as the gate begins to close: as compare angles at and b in Fig. 6. At completion of the carrier backward travel, the cupsupply device is operated, by cam I39 and spring I22 in the device, to drop a cup onto carrier 65, there to remain ready for the next dispensing operation of the machine. If a succession of coins C has been deposited, an equal number of dispensing operations, each of the cycle just described, will occur in immediate succession, by the means before fully described.

This provision for repeated operations is useful when a number of persons come in a group, for which each may deposit a coin or one may deposit coins for all; or any waiting persons may deposit their coins, not waiting until preceding persons have been served. The gripping by grippers 93 and 89 prevents a customer from unwittingly taking the cup K while liquid still is flowing from the faucet; which would result in excessive spillage on casing bottom 56, and of course give the customer less than full measure. The guard wing I! prevents persons inserting paper or the like into the spout, as thildren tampering. Flange 86' hides Wing I0! and discourages tampering with it. A tamperer is not apt to insert a finger into spout 46 while guard wing ll'il is away therefrom, as the liquid then is flowing into a cup K, practically obstructing access to the spout. Even should the wing llJl close on an inserted finger, the rise of cam nose 54 is so abrupt that the obstructing finger has a great advantage over the power drive, and simply would stop the operation until the finger is withdrawn. It will be noted that wing llll and gate 8| both are held closed positively by the respective cams 5D and I40; being spring-opened only when the cams release them. This efiectively discourages tampering with the spout and with the interior parts and the waiting cup K back of gate 8|. Wing IUI also practically excludes dust from spout 46 in intervals between operations.

The machine has the advantage of showing operation, by presenting a cup, immediately after a coin is deposited; whereas with prior machines, so far as I am aware, the customer sees nothing presented until the cup has been filled and advanced. Also the display is somewhat enhanced to the customer seeing the liquid flowing into the cup.

It will be understood that modifications may occur, and it will be understood that though I have set forth my invention in specific detail, I am not limited to such precise disclosure.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the character described, which comprises a liquid-supply device, a cupsupply device, a cup carrier reciprocatable to receive a cup from said cup-supply device and place the cup in receiving relation to said liquid-supply device, and mechanisms operative, respectively, to reciprocate said carrier, to start and stop the flow of liquid, and to cause cup-placing operation of said cup-supply device, in which machine the cup in its receiving relation is accessible to be taken manually, said machine including a gate movable alternately to close the path of the carried cup and to open said path, and mechanism operative to move said gate to open said path for 2. A machine as set forth in claim 1, in which there is mechanism preventing manual taking of the cup until the flow of liquid has been substantially stopped.

3. A machine as set forth in claim 1, in which there is mechanism preventing access to the liquid-flow outlet in each interim between stopping and starting of the flow.

4. A machine as set forth in claim 1, in which there is mechanism for gripping the cup in said position before the fiow has been substantially started, and for ungripping the cup for manual taking thereof when the flow has been substantially stopped.

5. A machine as set forth in claim 1, in which the liquid-supply device includes a faucet comprising a member movable by the respective mechanism alternately to allow and to stop the flow, said faucet having its outlet opening over the manually accessible place where the cup is taken, and said machine including a guard movable across and away from said outlet opening, and means moved incident to movement of the faucet member allowing the flow, to move said guard away from said outlet opening, and moved incident to movement of said faucet member for stopping the flow, to move said guard across said opening.

6. A machine as set forth in claim 1, in which the liquid-supply device includes a faucet comprising a member movable by the respective mechanism alternately to permit and to stop the flow, and in which is included gripping means having alternate movements to grip and ungrip the cup in its flow-receiving position where the cup is accessible for taking, and means moved incident to movement of the faucet member for allowing flow to cause gripping movement of said gripper, and moved incident to movement of the faucet member for stopping the flow, to cause ungripping movement of the gripper.

7. A machine as set forth in claim 1, said gatemoving mechanism mentioned therein including a cam and a lever operatively related to said cam and to the gate, said cam having a part so related to the gate as to be gradually active to close the gate and to hold the gate closed when the cam ceases operation, and having a part so related to the gate as to be succeedingly active abruptly to permit opening of the gate, said machine including means to open the gate, said cam being so related, in time of action, to the time of action of the carrier-reciprocating mechanism that said gate is moved to open said path and close said path at the appropriate times as therein set forth.

8. A machine as set forth in claim 1, in which the mechanism operative to start and stop flow of the liquid includes a faucet comprising a member movable alternately to allow and to stop flow, and includes a cam and a lever operatively related to said cam and to said faucet member, said cam having a part active to cause opening movement of the faucet member and a part succeedingly active to cause closing movement of said faucet member, said cam being so related, in time of action, to the time of action of the carrier-reciprocating mechanism that said faucet member is moved to allow flow of liquid when the cup has been carried substantially into its liquid-receiving relation to the faucet.

CHARLES J. WARREN. 

